Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Franklin Township public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
8 issues in environment with medium priority
Stormwater compliance with 2023 DEP regulations
A weekend stream cleanup pulled 54 bags of trash from Seely's Run, including shopping carts from Stop & Shop and overflowing recycling from Franklin Greens. The chairman asked staff to look at a taller fence and a better trash enclosure.
Churchill Avenue flooding, parking and speeding
Neighbors testified that clearing wooded lots has caused multi-year flooding, that the food bank, two churches and a new mosque bring heavy parking demand, and that speeding makes the street dangerous. Board members said these are enforcement problems, not reasons to deny the variance, and urged residents to call code enforcement.
County of Somerset open-space subdivision on Canal Road
The county is under contract to buy about 24 acres of the Canal Road parcel for its open space inventory, contiguous with existing county open space in the Millstone Valley preservation area. The hearing was carried to May 6, 2026.
Collins Property open space acquisition
The Township moved to buy the Collins Property at 4301 Route 27 for open space, using $426,721.40 from the Open Space Trust Fund. Hearings are set for June 23.
Horses and Hay Farm farmland preservation
The Council approved cost-sharing with the State to preserve a development easement on the 18-acre Horses and Hay Farm on Coppermine Road.
Utility tree trimming practices
Board members aired frustration that utility tree-trimming crews are 'butchering' mature street trees along Davidson Avenue, Route 287, Elizabeth Avenue and Cedar Grove Lane with no apparent accountability. The board wants to check whether the shade tree ordinance requires certified arborists and whether it's enforced.
Castleton Park pipeline easement
The township granted a surface utility easement over 0.14 acres of former Green Acres parkland at 816 Easton Avenue so a 1940s-era pipeline can be replaced. A resident raised flood plain and valve-protection questions.
Somerset County Recycling Agreement
The township's annual agreement with Somerset County for recycling pickup through 2026 was up for authorization — the arrangement that keeps curbside recycling running.